PM’s security squad racked up more than $23 million in cost overruns

The elite squad of RCMP officers that protects Prime Minister Stephen Harper has overspent its operating budget by more than $23 million since Harper became prime minister, iPolitics has learned.

While Harper publicly boasts of his government’s fiscal discipline and its cost cutting efforts, his government appears to have turned a blind eye to millions of dollars of cost overruns right under Harper’s own nose. Year after year, the Prime Minister Protection Detail has exceeded its budget — one year by more than 57 per cent.

Between 2005/06 and 2012/13, the RCMP’s operating budget for the personal protection of Harper and his family rose 79.5 per cent. However, the cost overruns resulted in the actual cost to taxpayers of protecting the prime ministerial family jumping 129 per cent during those years.

An analysis by iPolitics reveals that 78 per cent of the cost overruns — $18.7 million — corresponds to the period from 2009-2013 when Bruno Saccomani headed the Prime Minister Protection Detail.

Saccomani is reported to have ruffled feathers within the RCMP, both for his management style and his aggressive push for better training and equipment. In 2012, a leaked internal RCMP report painted an image of a domineering boss who intimidated those under his command.

However, those around Harper had nothing but praise for Saccomani at the time, saying he transformed the detail into a highly professional squad.

In July 2013, Harper’s government named Saccomani Canada’s ambassador to Jordan and Iraq – a job that comes with a salary ranging between $131,200 and $154,300.

For 2013/14, for the first time in eight years, the cost of the prime minister’s security appeared to be on track to come in around the $19.6 million that was budgeted.

The multi-million dollar cost overruns in the prime minister’s security detail come at a time when the government is cutting back spending and axing thousands of public service jobs in a bid to eliminate the federal government’s deficit.

The revelation of the cost overruns comes after the government tabled an answer to a question placed on the order paper by Liberal Deputy Leader Ralph Goodale with figures for the total operating cost year by year to provide security for the prime minister.

The government’s answer came a few weeks after an access to information request by Postmedia obtained annual figures for the squad’s operating budget.

However, there is a significant discrepancy between the two sets of numbers.

RCMP spokeswoman Lucy Shorey says that is because the Prime Minister Protection Detail (PMPD) often exceeds its budget.

“The discrepancy between the ATIP request and the Parliamentary Return 304 is due to (the) fact that both documents did not include the same information,” Shorey wrote in an e-mailed response. “The ATIP request included operating budgets for PMPD. As for the Parliamentary Return 304, it included the operating expenditures (costs incurred) for PMPD.”

“For most years, the expenditures for PMPD have been higher than their budget allocation.”

The cost of keeping the prime minister and his family safe has sometimes proved to be controversial.

In November 2012, following RCMP recommendation, the Canadian government paid more than $1 million to ship an armoured limousine and SUV to India for the prime minister’s visit to that country.

Despite the multimillion dollar security detail, two climate change protesters dressed as waiters were able to get next to Harper at an event in Vancouver in January.

The prime minister’s office was tightlipped when asked to comment on the cost overruns.

“Decisions with regards to the PM’s security are made by the RCMP,” responded press secretary Carl Vallée. “Questions should be directed to them.”

Goodale, however, says the cost overruns raise serious questions.

“It just seems like a pretty clear case of pretty bad management,” said Goodale, a former federal finance minister. “Either the budgeting was not done right or the expenditure was not done right.”

“It seems to me that the numbers need to be reconciled and there needs to be an explanation for why there is this constant and very substantial overrun year after year after year.”

Goodale said nobody questions the need to provide proper security for the prime minister but government departments aren’t supposed to incur cost overruns year after year for several years. Moreover, the cost overruns for the prime ministers security came at the same time the government was cutting back in other areas of safety and security like search and rescue operations, emergency planning, the prison system and border control.

“Areas that go directly to the issue of public safety and public security have been significantly reduced while this one seems to have grown like topsy with no particular scrutiny or control.”

Goodale said he would like to see both the Parliamentary Budget officer and Auditor General Michael Ferguson take a closer look at the issue. Goodale said the RCMP, the public safety minister, the treasury board and the prime minister himself should also look into it.

“Ultimately, the prime minister would know these numbers and he himself should be asking some questions.”

NDP Treasury Board critic Mathieu Ravignat said he was troubled by both the increase in spending and the fact the squad repeatedly exceeded its budget.

“To me, it’s a part of a trend. Ministers in this government seem to feel like they are entitled to the Cadillac treatment.”
Ravignat questioned whether threats to the prime minister have increased in proportion to the increase in budget for his protection.

“Is the Canadian prime minister in greater danger than he has ever been in history? I don’t think so.”

If any other government department had gone over budget year after year, questions would have been asked and heads would have rolled, said Ravignat. Instead, he pointed out, the head of the Prime Minister Protection Detail was rewarded with an ambassadorial appointment.